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Moby-Dick is perhaps the greatest of the Great American Novels, yet its length and esoteric subject matter create an aura of difficulty that too often keeps readers at bay. Fortunately, one unabashed fan wants passionately to give Melville's masterpiece the broad contemporary audience it deserves. In his National Book Award- winning bestseller, In the Heart of the Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick captivatingly unpacked the story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex, the real-life incident that inspired Melville to write Moby- Dick. Now, he sets his sights on the fiction itself, offering a cabin master's tour of a spellbinding novel rich with adventure and history. Philbrick skillfully navigates Melville's world and illuminates the book's humor and unforgettable characters-finding the thread that binds Ishmael and Ahab to our own time and, indeed, to all times. A perfect match between author and subject, Why Read Moby-Dick? gives us a renewed appreciation of both Melville and the proud seaman's town of Nantucket that Philbrick himself calls home. Like Alain de Botton's How Proust Can Change Your Life, this remarkable little book will start conversations, inspire arguments, and, best of all, bring a new wave of readers to a classic tale waiting to be discovered anew.

“WHY READ MOBY-DICK? reels in a compelling case… short, lucid, intelligent… Philbrick’s more like a literary color analyst, helping readers see the novel better while also creating a sense of excitement about it.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“This slender volume is packed with reasons why you might want to read the whaling classic.”

—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“This slender, pleasant, sincere book by the maritime historian and naval enthusiast is more than a respectable tribute unencumbered by academic prose. Approaching Moby-Dick from outside the academy is refreshing, and Philbrick’s enthusiasm is contagious….So put me down for a reading of Moby-Dick in 2012, and count Philbrick’s book a success.”—The New Republic

“Philbrick does the literary world great service by bringing Moby-Dick back into popular attention and also by his skill in keeping American history fresh and alive.”—Aspen Daily News

“Sure to swell the readership of Melville’s masterpiece.”—Booklist (Starred review)

“In this cogent and passionate polemic for Melville’s masterpiece, Philbrick… combines a critical eye and a reader’s adoration to make a case for Moby-Dick… Less lit-crit and more readers’ guide, this tome will remind fans why they loved the book in the first place, and whet the appetites of trepid potential readers.”—Publishers Weekly

“A slim celebration of the elements of a literary masterpiece…Philbrick is an enthusiastic salesman for a sometimes daunting novel.”—Kirkus

“So you liked Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea, which re-created the wreck of the whaleship Essex, inspiration for Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick? Then you’ll love Philbrick’s new book… From a wonderful and knowing writer.”—Library Journal, pre-pub alert

About the Author

Nathaniel Philbrick, is a leading authority on the history of Nantucket Island. His In the Heart of the Sea won the National Book Award. His latest book is Sea of Glory, about the epic U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. His other books include Away off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890 (which Russell Baker called "indispensable") and Abram's Eyes: The Native American Legend of Nantucket Island ("a classic of historical truthtelling," according to Stuart Frank, director of the Kendall Whaling Museum). He has written an introduction to a new edition of Joseph Hart's Miriam Coffin, or The Whale Fisherman, a Nantucket novel (first published in 1834) that Melville relied upon for information about the island when writing Moby Dick.

Top customer reviews

Philbrick is expansive in his praise of Moby-Dick describing it variously as history, poetry, adventure story, parody, portrait of 1850's America, metaphysical blueprint and, finally, epic depiction of man's struggle against an uncaring universe. He lovingly refers to the book as a "magnificent mess" and as a "quirky and demanding ride" which he urges readers to take. Philbrick details the curious history of the book which had sold fewer than 4000 copies in the forty years prior to Melville's death in 1891, only to become subject of a reader resurgence after the first World War.

Melville's masterpiece, according to Philbrick, contains within its pages "nothing less than the genetic code of America." Because of this, the book becomes "newly important " as each new American crisis occurs. The "genetic code" in Moby Dick contains lessons in tolerance between cultures, compartmentalization of worldly and spiritual concerns, the labor theory of value, the impact of a harrowing occupations on the worker, perils of charismatic leadership, and the need for government to prevent angels from becoming sharks.

Philbrick is most effective in introducing the reader to the first anti-hero - Captain Ahab- and his fight to create meaning in a universe which can be seen as a vast practical joke on man. Nathaniel Hawthorne's emotional inspiration on Melville helped transform a more straightforward whaling story into a dive into the darkness. The white whale becomes a mask obscuring the "outrageous strength" and "inscrutable malice" of a hostile universe. Moby-Dick is nothing less than "evil personified and made practically assailable." Whether the whale is agent of darkness or its principal is unimportant, Ahab must strike a blow for man against him. The captain's metaphysical quest transforms him to obsessed and elemental hero: "They think me mad...but I am demoniac. I am madness maddened."

In a concise text that can be consumed in an evening, Philbrick may have achieved his goal of recruiting more readers to Moby-Dick. If so, this is an important accomplishment. He suggests that it is unnecessary to read the entire book if the alternative is to ignore it altogether because of its imposing length or its prolix manner. "The important thing is to spend some time with the novel. Even a sentence, a mere phrase will do." The rewards, as described by Philbrick, can be considerable.

Nathaniel Philbrick is a brilliant writer. His prose is flowing and clear, and he has chosen his excerpts from this towering work well. His enthusiasm for MOBY DICK is infectious and he has managed to overcome my hesitation about jumping into a long work of nineteenth century fiction. I have started reading MOBY DICK, and I will persevere!

So why four stars and not five? The final chapter of this wonderful book seemed vague and the concluding paragraphs felt like a contradiction to every valid point in the previous pages. It is almost as though the editor said to Philbrick: "Geez, you can't end the book on such a dark note. Put in a rainbow, or something." Melville was a complex, needy and troubled person, as this book recognizes. He was probably bipolar (although the word is never mentioned), and certainly had a strong streak of depression in his personality and life experiences. That Melville somehow clung to youthful dreams through the end of his life is just a little too improbable. That a scrap of paper found by Melville's family after his death is the evidence of such hope is very weak evidence indeed. That he managed to live out his life in obscurity after failing to achieve family harmony, financial success or artistic recognition does not suggest hope as much as resignation. Philbrick is certainly entitled to this opinion, although for me, as a reader of this tiny gem of a book, it seemed a falsified conclusion, unworthy of all of the sensitive and almost poetic content in the rest of the book.

I thought I was safe. I had read Moby-Dick, not once, but twice before. Philibrick makes clear that the purpose of this engaging little book is to get you to read Moby-Dick -- for the first time or the fifteenth. By the time you get done with the book -- Melville's history, his friendship with Hawthorne, Moby-Dick's hidden meanings and surprisingly dirty jokes -- you're hooked.

I tried numerous times to read Moby and only managed after I hit 60. I have no idea why that should be -- but I wish I'd read this before I started the slog. Philbrick comes at the task with a generalized -- i.e. non-academic -- passion, and does a lovely job of expressing his human appreciation for the work simply and without pretense. Good stuff, which might have made getting into the book easier had it been available when first I started.

Philbrick's enthusiasm for Moby-Dick is infectious. I had finished my first unabridged read-through just before reading this volume. I enjoyed Moby-Dick (though some chapters are tedious), but once I finished through Philbrick's book, I did something I didn't expect and started reading Moby-Dick again. Philbrick is a really great author, and it makes sense that he would be a fan of Moby-Dick from his book on the inspiration for it (In the Heart of the Sea--recommended reading for any M-D fans).

His essays are not earth shattering revelations, but they will imbue you with a desire to dig deeper, reread, check out some commentaries, and enjoy the work a little more than viewing it as a chore.

While the list price is somewhat ridiculous for a collection of essays, the prices you can get for it used/discounted here help a great deal. Don't get me wrong, it's a great series of essays (though nothing truly shocking), but I wouldn't spend 30 dollars for the hardback. I won't review on the price--the content is quite good.